High altitude oxygen supplying mask



Dec. 25, 1945.

A. H. BULBULIAN HIGH ALTITUDE OXYGEN SUPPLYING MASK Filed July 22, 1943 3' Sheets-Sheet l N M w L U B, H. R U H T R A Dec.-25, 1945. A. ULBULIAN 2,391,677

HIGH ALTITUDE OXYGEN SUPPLYING MASK Filed July 22, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 25,-"1945. A. H. BULBULIAN 2,391,677

HIGH ALTITUDE OXYGEN SUPPLYING MASK Filed July 22, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ARTHUR H. BULBULIAN wd/W25 Patented Dec. 25, 1945 OFFICE HIGH ALTITUDE OXYGEN SUPPLYING MASK V 7 Arthur H. Bulbulian, Rochester, Minn. I Application July 22, 1943, Serial No. 495,967

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a high altitude oxygen supplying mask and has for its object to provide a mask structure to be worn by aviators, particularly in military aviation, at the very high elevations to which such aviators are now called upon to ascend, said mask embodying a novel arrangement of inhalation and exhalation tubes and a novel construction of said tubes and relation of them to each other in conjunction with shaped and proportioned face-contacting means for quickly applying the mask and for rendering it comfortable and satisfactory while being worn.

The mask is particularly designed for use in conjunction with demand-type supply of oxygen or a continuous supply of oxygen into the breathing chamber to maintain the breathing atmosphere and the air within the alveolar regions of the lungs at a pressure considerably higher than that of the surrounding atmosphere. It has been found that at the very high altitudes to which airplanes are required to ascend, particularly in military action, the safety and health of those in planes at such high altitudes is conserved and greatly aided by the use of a constant supply of pure oxygen at pressure substantially higher than .the low pressure of the surrounding atmosphere.

It is true also that at such high altitudes extremely low temperatures are encountered. At these low temperatures there always is a continuous and substantial amount of water which has condensed from respiration upon the inner walls of the breathing chamber. This water must, of course, be maintained at temperatures above the freezing point in the breathing chamber and where it passes through the exhalation valve, and in fact, to substantially the point where it leaves the exhalation passageway or passageways. To maintain these non-freezing temperatures in such exceedingly cold surrounding atmosphere has presented a complex and difiicult problem connected with the development of satisfactory mask structures for use under such conditions. This also involves the problem of introducing the air or spondingly short inhalation passage and passageways with a common wall at the upper part of said exhalation passageways and branching in the form of a Y along the sides of the breathing chamber to discharge immediately below the outlets of the nostrils and-close to the sides of the mouth, a r

It is a principal object of my invention, therefore, to form a mask body adapted to enclose a breathing'chamber as worn, with a single wide central exhalation passageway which extends downward and inwardunder the chin of the wearer, which is very short, and with a large cross-section area, and in connection with which the exhalation valve is at alltimes positioned to receive the warm 'gases of exhalation directly from the mouth or nose and discharge then through this wide passageway to atmosphere.

It is a further object of my invention to concentrate the warm gases of exhalation in a single short wide passageway constituting at the same time the exhalation chamber and the exhalation discharge passageway, this dicharge passageway being composedof flexible rubber in position where any ice which forms at the edges of the discharge passageway can easily be broken away and removed by action of the fingers.

oxygen gas into the breathing chamber so tempered that it will not itself tend to cause freezing and of course collaterally, to be too cold for satisfactory introduction into the lungs.

I have discovered that these problems in their most acute form are efiectively met and solved by the provision of a single relatively large and very short exhalation passageway centrally disposed upon the mask body with the exhalation valve close to, in front, and slightly below the wearers mouth, as the same is positioned at one side of the breathing chamber, and by a corre- His a. further object of my invention to employ an air or oxygen inlet tube of circular crossfsection in the form of a Y with the main stem extending outwardly at approximately a broad angle to the exhalation passageway with a wall of this tube forming a common wall with the end of an exhalation passageway and the branches of 'the'Y and the base of the main stem located upon the wall of the breathing chamber between the microphone chamber and .the exhalation valve and with outlets into the breathing chamber of substantial cross sectional area positioned below and .at the sides of the openings of the nostrils into the breathing chamber and substantially directly at the sides of the mouth as the mask is worn.

I t It is a further object of m invention to combine the aforesaid arrangement of breathing tubes in the mask structure with a shaped and proportioned face-engaging plate formed integral with the sides of the mask body but having a flap portion disconnected therefrom and extending at anacute angle to most positions thereof.

The specification hereto appended gives sufl iciently in detail the objects and advantages derived from my invention, and the claim appended to the, specificationparticularly points out, the

tion valve dicated at" 2113, also 'ture is plainly shown in Figs. 3', 4 and 9'. This delivery of oxygen gas novel features and combinations by which those objects and advantages are attained.

In the drawings illustrating an application of my invention in one of its forms:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a mask embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fi 2.

Fig. iihsectional Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the mask, taken in the direction of the arrows along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the mask viewed from the open or inside pant thereof,

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along line of Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 is, a. of Fig. '1.

As illustrated, the mask comprisesv a body portlon l-ll which is projected forwardly into a nosereceiving, portion H and whichas worn encloses a breathing chamber l2. Integrally united with all parts of the body portion, as indicated at 13, F'ms. 2 and, 3,,is a. thin. and flexible face-contacting member M. The member i4 comprises .view taken on line 4-4- of taken on line 6-6 of sectional view taken on line 9-9 .twov portions, the outer of which i5 is substantially a continuation of the body part and is integral therewith,.and aninner part it which is separated from the: body to in. a sharply acute angle as shown at-l'l, Fig. 3.

At the. place. under the chin the. face-contacting member l-l unites with a thickened portion 18' of the body 10 and there extends in a bottom flap l9 free from. said body and the. part is spaced from the. mask body at with a somewhat broader angle. than elsewhere, leaving a trough 21 which will receivethe condensed mois tore: within the breathingchamber l2 and accumulate it, and, as the mask is worn will cause it to spill over through openings 22 in an. exhala- 23 seated in acircular opening 24 in the body portion l0 which will. later be described. The face-contacting member I4 is formed with a continuous: unitary surface 25 which is integrally connected throughout its length with the mask body so as to leave the inner thin flexible flap-like member 15 free and disposed at a close angle to they inside wall of the breathing chamher.

The member 14 is. shaped and proportioned so that this surface 25 will adapt itself. to the contours of normal faces extending. on each side from nose-receiving part at 26 through extended cheek contacting, side parts 21 transversely and longitudinally curved,.as' indicated in Figs, 3, 4, 3; and 9, with a broadly curved chin rest portion 28 as shown in cross section inFig. 4. Thus the inner portions of the cheek parts are convexly curved longitudinally as indicated at 21A in Fig. 3, and are longitudinally concavely curved asin- Fig. 8, and transverse curvagives a general broad surfacefit of the entire face-contacting member with the free flap-like portion !6 subject to pressure withinthe breathing chamber such as may be brought about by to the-breathing chamber at a substantially higher-pressure than that of the surrounding atmosphere.

A microphone-chamber 29' is provided with a turretdike structure'w directly: at: the base: of the 1 nose-receiving portion and immediately over the Y or the main inhalation passageways. A channel 3| may be formed in the microphone chamber 29 to receive the microphone wire.

The microphone chamber 29 is cylindrical and a part of its wall at 32, Fig. 4, is a common wall between the Y-legs of the inhalation tube 36, which encloses the main stem passageway 31 leading to the Y-tubes 38 and 39. These tubes have their wide base at 40,, Figs. 4 and 7, between the microphone turret 39 and the upper wall 4| of the exhalation chamber and passage 42, Fig. 4.

This wall for a considerable extent, as shown at body, thus enabling sagerway running;

43' in. Fig. 4, jointly bounds the main inhalation passageway 31 on one side and the exhalation chamber and. passageway 42 on the other side, The inhalation branches 38 and 39, as clearly shown in Fig. '7, open into the breathing chamber l2 at 44 and 45, Figs. 3, 4, and 7, these openings being of relatively large cross-section. It will be noted that the inhalation tube 36 is adapted tobeconnectedwith oxygen. supplying means, valve controlled either by the breathing of the wearer and hence of the demand type, or through continual delivery into the breathing chamber ata pressure substantially higher than that of the surrounding atmosphere. These instrumentalities for controlling the delivery of oxygen are well known and hence, are notshown. In the opening 24 in the main mask wall between the breathing chamber l2 and theexhala- .tionchamber 42 is the exhalation valve 23 which has its bottom openings 22 close to the bottom 29: of trough. 2L, Fig. 4, thus enabling the. liquid which condenses and accumulates in the trough 2| to readily spill over the chamber 42 from which it can discharge down the front wall 48 of exhalation chamber and passageway 42. The opening from this passageway is best shown in Figs. 4,. 5 and '7. Fig. 4 particularly shows clearly the shape of this opening and its relation to the inlet tube 36. The exhalation chamber and passageway 42 is formedlby thetop wall 4|, the front wall 48, side walls 48 and 41 and a back wall59 which latter, as clearly indicated in Fig. 6, is continuous with the. thickened mask body wall l8 and the mask body wall extension 5i surrounding the exhalation valve opening 23. The main strap member 52v is secured by rivets 53 and 54 to the ends of tubes 38 and 39 and is carried. over the mask body at 55, Figs. 2, 4 and 5. This strap; is also riveted at 58 to. a supplemental strap 51 which is riveted at 58 and 59, Fig. 1, to the mask body and is looped through a loop 60 adjacent rivet 53, as indicated at the left of Fig. 1.

Buckles 5i and 62 on the strap 55 are adapted to be firmly attached to the face by means of straps. on the helmet or head harness Worn by the aviator, not shown. This strap arrangement in relation. to the interconnected parts 39, 32,v 46, 4| and it, gives an exceptionally strong anchorage of the strap upon the mask so that it may be pulled very' tight without deforming the mask the mask to be worn. safely and certainly under veryheavy stresseszfrom wind pressure and the like.

This is in and of' itself one of the important advantages of my invention. Other advantages are apparent from what has been set forth in the specification. The exceptional compactness of the. mask structure which at the same time covers the entire face, including the chin with the face-contacting. portion 25, the extraordinarily large. and short exhaling chamber andpasdirectly downwardly, the free discharge thereinto of liquid condensing on the inside of the mask, the arrangement of the inhalation tube (with its connections for delivery of oxygen as desired, not shown), so as to bring the inhalation gases close to the openings of the nostrils and of the mouth into the breathing chamber at each side thereof, and the self-sealing by internal pressure, all contribute highly advantageous features to this mask structure which make it effective and useful for the purpose intended in a high degree.

I claim:

A high altitude oxygen supplying mask, comprising a mask body, a face engaging portion secured at its median line to the edge of the mask body and with the inner part thereof of flexible rubber embodying a nose engaging part at the top and a chin enveloping part at the bottom and adapted to form with the mask body an enclosed breathing chamber as the mask is worn, a microphone chamber united with the nose engaging part, a single combined exhalation chamber and passageway mounted centrally of the mask body,

the walls thereof being shaped and positioned to form a narrow outlet of rectangular cross section and of a width greater than half the total width of the mask body which extends downwardly and inwardly in a short passageway under the chinenveloping part of the mask as worn, a centrally positioned inhalation tube having part of its walls made up of walls of the microphone chamber and the exhalation chamber and having tubes in the form of a Y leading along the sides of the mask body therefrom, and securing straps, one passing, over the mask body at the top of the microphone chamber and the other passing over the upper end of the Walls forming the outlet chamber and crossing and being united together and to the mask at their crossing points, whereby an extremely compact mask arrangement of breathing chamber, microphone chamber and exhalation and inhalation passageways is provided having a high degree of combined rigidity adapted to resist the strains of the securing straps and of air pressures ARTHUR H. BULBULIAN. 

